Two sitting councillors in Oldham made the last minute decision to change allegiances ahead of the local elections. Councillor Nyla Ibrahim, who last year became elected as the Labour candidate in Werneth, will run as an Independent.
She is seconded by Akhtar Shoab, previously also a Labour councillor for Werneth, who it is rumoured has also defected from the party. Coun Shoab is not up for re-election.
Both have reportedly made reference to Labour’s stance on Gaza as a reason for their decision.
The revelation came late on Friday (April 6) just before the deadline for councils to publish their candidates list for the upcoming election on May 2.
The move by both cabinet members has shifted the political landscape. For the last year, Labour has held an overall majority in the council, with 32 councillors – and more recently 33, after Coun Aftab Hussain switched from Independent to Labour earlier this year – out of 60.
But now, with 31 councillors, Labour holds a majority of just one. If Labour lose one or more seats in another ward in the May elections without gaining an equal amount elsewhere, the council could go into ‘No Overall Control’ – meaning the leadership structure of the OMBC could shift to a coalition between different parties or a ‘minority leadership’.
The move also sees Werneth without a Labour candidate for the first time. Nyla Ibrahim will run against Amjad Ali (Independent), Mohammed Salik Miah (Conservatives) and Hamza Uddin (Lib Dems) in the ward.
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